Race Begins for Next Google Fiber City

The next round of competition to decide which city will get cheap, fast Google Fiber has begun, according to a cheerfully oblique announcement from Google today.

Google Fiber rollouts in Austin, Texas and Provo, Utah have both progressed to the point of actually signing up customers, which means Google is ready to consider what metro areas should be next on the list for an upgrade to a 21st century Internet infrastructure. The company has invited nine municipal areas, containing a total of 34 cities and towns, to apply, according to a Feb. 19 blog entry from Google Access Services VP Milo Medin.

On the list of next potential Google Fiber cities: San Jose, Calif, Portland, Ore, Salt Lake City, Utah, Phoenix, Ariz., San Antonio, Texas, Nashville, Tenn., Atlanta, Ga., Charlotte, N.C. and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. Each city will be asked to cooperate on a “detailed study of local factors that could affect construction, like topography (e.g., hills, flood zones), housing density and the condition of local infrastructure,” Medin wrote. Each will also be asked to handle a laundry-list of upgrades and improvements to help get the project up to speed.

“They’ll provide us with maps of existing conduit, water, gas and electricity lines so that we can plan where to place fiber,” Medin added. “They’ll also help us find ways to access existing infrastructure—like utility poles—so we don’t unnecessarily dig up streets or have to put up a new pole next to an existing one.”

There is still insufficient evidence to support Google’s contention that it’s possible to revive a city’s economy and culture simply by wiring it with Gig Ethernet rather than whatever low-speed network infrastructure the local monopoly carrier believes would deliver the highest profit margin. But there is plenty of enthusiastically anecdotal support.

It will take until at least the end of 2014 before Google actually decides which cities will win the current round of competition, but even being nominated will help each get ready for broadband upgrades they might decide to handle on their own, according to Google. “While we do want to bring Fiber to every one of these cities, it might not work out for everyone. But cities who go through this process with us will be more prepared for us or any provider who wants to build a fiber network,” Medin wrote.